The Regulator's Tale

The book tells the story of Oftel, the Office that was formed in 1984 to regulate the telecommunications industry after the privatisation of British Telecom, as seen by the author who was the first head of the Office. It explains how Oftel worked to promote the interests of customers through encouraging competition in all aspects of telecommunications and through regulatory controls on prices and quality of service. It tells the story of the birth of mobile telecommunications and how the U.K. developed policies that made it a world leader in the field. It chronicles the problems caused by the development of chatlines and recorded message services, the forerunners of today's social media. It explains how Oftel worked to help customers resolve billing disputes and other service problems. It shows how the foundations laid in the 1980s led to today's rich variety of fixed and mobile telecoms services. It recounts the experiences of the author in his relationships with Government ministers, including times when differences of opinion had to be resolved; and it chronicles the relationships with overseas organisations in Europe, the United States, Australia and Japan.